Bourbon County Elementary Schools
The 2011-2012
®
List
Book
Recommended Books for Elementary School Children
trying to find a harbor. A humorous take on a true
story that helped usher in the recycling era.
A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Idea by Michael Ian
Black (Simon & Schuster). Have you ever seen a
pig parade? No? Well, perhaps that’s because it’s
a terrible idea. Find out why in this goofy story
about pigs’ likes (country music, mud puddles)
and dislikes (uniforms, marching band music).
Guinea Pigs Add Up by Margery Cuyler (Walker &
Company). Mr. Gilbert’s students think the class
pet looks lonely and needs a friend. What were
two guinea pigs are now five and then ... guinea
pigs are taking over the classroom! What will Mr.
Gilbert do to get his classroom back? This is a cute
story that incorporates math into storytime.
A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Christian
Stead (Roaring Brook Press). Zookeeper Amos
McGee always makes time for his five
favorite animals. But when Amos
doesn’t make it to work, the animals
decide to visit him. Charming illustrations make it easy to see why this
book received the Caldecott Medal.
Shadow by Suzy Lee (Chronicle Books).
Suzy’s shadows come to life in the light
of a storage room. The line between
what’s real and imagined becomes
increasingly blurred as the story goes
on. Be sure to explore the images of
Suzy’s shadows carefully—they have a
life of their own!
Animal House by Candace Ryan
(Walker Books). Jeremy’s
family lives in a “gorvilla”—
a gorilla house—with a
“snailbox” (snail mailbox)
out front. Kids hungry for
humor will enjoy the wordplay—and perhaps long for their
own “vulchairs” to eat their
homework!
Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan (Viking).
Rubina has been invited to her first American
birthday party! And her mother is making her
bring her baby sister, Sana. Rubina is utterly
embarrassed as Sana acts up. But when Sana gets
her own party invitation, what will Rubina do?
Two Little Boys from Toolittle Toys
by Vincent X. Kirsch (Bloomsbury).
Fans of Natalie and
Naughtily will remember
Rudy and Ridley
iStockphoto
Toolittle. Rudy and Ridley
spend their weekends playing with every toy at
the Toolittle Toy Company. But what happens
when Rudy decides he’s “too old” to play?
Watercolor illustrations bring the story to life. And
don’t miss the “catalog” at the back of the book!
Here Comes the Garbage Barge! by Jonah
Winter (Schwartz & Wade Books). Cap’m Duffy
has a barge filled with 3,168 tons of trash—
and nowhere to take it. After Islip, NY, refuses
delivery, the barge sails up and down the Atlantic
When I Grow Up by Al Yankovic (HarperCollins).
Today’s show-and-tell theme is “What I want to
be when I grow up”—and eight-year-old Billy
has given a lot of thought to what he wants to
be! A chef, a gorilla masseur, a pickle inspector ...
Billy goes on and on while his teacher tries to call
“time.” What will his final selection be?
© 2011 The Parent Institute® www.parent-institute.com
May be reproduced by Building Readers® newsletter subscribers.
The 2011-2012
®
Book List
A Good Horse by Jane Smiley (Random House
The Luck of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker (Can-
Children’s Books). Almost-thirteen-year-old Abby
loves her life on her family’s horse ranch. Even
chores aren’t that bad when you get to work
with two great horses: young Jack and the jumper
Black George. But what will Abby do when Black
George begins to turn buyers’ heads and her
family is accused of stealing Jack?
dlewick). Twelve-year-old Tugs Esther Buttons
had the bad luck to be born into a luckless family.
None of the Buttons have ever been well-known
or famous—unless you count the time GreatGrandaddy Ike was in the town newspaper for
accidentally setting the Town Hall on fire. But
when Tugs wins a camera in a raffle and finds
herself in the middle of a mystery, she just might
realize that luck is what you make of it.
Another Whole Nother Story by Dr. Cuthbert
Soup (Bloomsbury Books for Young Readers). The
Cheeseman family is back for another rollicking
adventure. Now that their super-secret time
machine is in working order, time travel
should be smooth sailing ... right? Not
when you forget to consider Murphy’s
Law: Everything that can go wrong will!
Guinea Dog by Patrick Jennings
(EgmontUSA). All fifth-grader Rufus
wants is a dog. But his dad says no,
and Rufus has to settle for a guinea
pig. To his surprise, the guinea pig
(now named Fido) fetches, obeys
commands and even chews on his dad’s
shoes. All Rufus knows is that he can’t
return Fido, as the pet store has vanished!
Kid vs. Squid by Greg van Eekhout
The Rogue Crew by Brian Jacques (Philomel). The
latest adventure in this beloved series finds Redwall Abbey under attack from the most evil and
hideous creature yet: Razzid Wearat, captain of
a ship with wheels that can travel both land
and sea. He’s mowing down everything (and everyone) in his path
on his way to Redwall. Will the
creatures of Redwall, the hares of
the Long Patrol and the otters of the
Rogue Crew be able to stop Wearat
and save Mossflower Country?
Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon and Dean
iStockphoto
(Bloomsbury). Summer vacation: awesome,
right? Not if you’re eleven-year-old Thatcher, who
has to spend his summer working at his weird
great-uncle’s even stranger museum. But things
take a turn for the interesting when a mysterious
girl shows up to “borrow” one of the exhibits.
Molly Moon & the Morphing Mystery by Georgia
Byng (HarperCollins). Molly Moon is back for
another adventure—and this time, she’s added
morphing to her impressive list of extraordinary
talents. She can change from a human being to
an animal and back again ... well, usually.
Currently she’s stuck. Now she needs to find a
special book in order to return to her own body
and save the world in the meantime.
Hale (Bloomsbury). Rapunzel’s life is no
fairy tale in this graphic novel version of
the classic. The woman she thought was
her mother, the evil queen, has trapped
her in a tower. She manages to escape and vows
to bring an end to the queen’s cruel rule, while
looking for her birth mother. Another fairy-tale
favorite—Jack (yes, from that beanstalk)—is also
along for the ride.
Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff (HarperCollins).
Annie is a worrier, and with good reason. After
all, if you’re not careful, you could end up in a
bicycle accident, or with food poisoning, or be
run down by escaped zoo animals—Annie’s list
goes on and on. She used to be carefree, but
after her older brother died unexpectedly, Annie
thought it made more sense to be cautious. With
the help of a new neighbor, Annie may remember
how to enjoy life without worrying.
© 2011 The Parent Institute® www.parent-institute.com
May be reproduced by Building Readers® newsletter subscribers.
X02641352